ie

ce. He was back, a persistent ghost haunting my perfectly rebuilt life. He appeared at my office building again, leaning against the polished s

smile on his face. "Let me wait f

o sound intimate,

dy, betraying none of the irritation bubb

e elevator. My assistant, a sweet, impress

ht?" she asked, her brow furrowed

hloe, but for anyone within earshot. We were in the break room,

the shock register on Chloe's face, then the collective widening of eyes among the

. The sudden silence that followed was deafening. My colleagues, caught in the crossfire of my

conflicting emotions: shock, anger, a flicker of raw hurt. His eye

e was tense, thick with unspoken words. I stared out the window, watching the city lights blur, a milli

the other woman didn't live up to his fantasy, or his ego needed a bruising. But the love,

f the empty apartment. I shredded the wedding photos, tore up every card he'd ever given me, smashed every trinket that reminded me of us. I too

ned sofa, while he offered me money. "Ellie, I'll pay for everything," he said, his voice maddeningly ca

aw the subtle shift of her lips, the triumphant glint in her eyes when she

was left alone in the wreckage of my life, the silence echoing with his betrayal. I sent him texts, ema

It makes you question your sanity, your worth, your very existence. I learned then that cold violence can kill

understand the basics, to navigate the maze of legal jargon. I took the papers

ace. "Divorce? Why, Ellie, that's not very strategic. My career is soaring. A

rrogance. "Besides," he added, his voice dripping with false concern, "

ionship, Ellie, I won't stand in your way. You can see

cruelty of his words, made me sick. I refused. I w

panion, a dull ache in my chest that sometimes flared into a searing inferno. One night, the agony became too mu

rush of blood, the sudden, dizzying darknes

ssandra, sitting by my bedside, a smug smile plastered on her face. Her

Armand was so worried. He's been beside himself." She paused, her

iumph. She was rubbing it in, basking in her victory. The venom

g thwack. The sound echoed in the quiet room. Her head sna

om my bedside table, then the remote, anything I could get my hands on, and h

, saw Cassandra clutching her cheek, saw the fury in my eyes. Without a

e roared, his voice laced with disgust. "Yo

, piece by piece, until there was nothing left but a screaming

nted a fight, they would get one. But this time, I wouldn

late-night text, every secret rendezvous, every financial transaction that proved his betraya

er card to play. And this one, this one wo